Samsung Galaxy Alpha

30 Sep 2014

Announced in August 2014, the Samsung Galaxy Alpha represents a change in strategy for Samsung at the high end. In contrast to the company's predominantly large-screened, plastic-based designs, such as the Galaxy S5, the Galaxy Alpha downsizes to a 4.7-inch 720p SuperAMOLED display and a squared-off, metal-framed design. Samsung referred to the device as the "next evolution" in its smartphone design, with a renewed focus on premium materials.

The Galaxy Alpha is powered by an octa-core CPU in big.LITTLE configuration, with four cores at 1.8GHz and four at 1.3GHz. It's got 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, but no microSD slot, and that's all powered by a 1,860mAh battery. Around the back there's a 12-megapixel camera with LED flash.

On the software side the Galaxy Alpha runs Android 4.4.4 KitKat out of the box with Samsung's TouchWiz software suite, which includes features like Ultra Power Saving Mode, Download Booster, Quick Connect S Health and Private Mode. The Alpha also boasts a built-in fingerprint scanner like its big brother, the Galaxy S5.

The Samsung Galaxy Alpha will launch this September, when it's expected to go up against Apple's iPhone 6. It'll be available in black, white, gold, silver and blue, depending on market.